VIC METRO’s five goals to nil first half against Queensland was ultimately the difference in the game, with four of those majors coming in the opening term setting up the side for a fantastic start to the 2026 AFLW Under 18 Championships. Metro came away with the 10.9 (69) to 5.3 (33) win at GMHBA Stadium, with Queensland mounting a brief fightback in the final quarter before Metro steadied to run out comfortable winners.

>> MATCH REPORT: Vic Metro 10.9 (69) def. Queensland 5.3 (33)

We noted down some of the players across both sides who caught the eye.

VIC METRO:

#1 Tayla Olivieri (Western Jets)
Forward | 160cm | 14/02/2008

Stats: 11 disposals, 1 mark, 3 tackles, 1 clearance, 4 inside 50s, 3 goals

Olivieri was a brilliant crumbing small who made the most of her limited touches to kick three goals. She showed great positioning, gathering when the ball bounced to her 20m out and snapping truly, before running hard to the goalsquare to kick the easiest of majors. The highlight of her day was a simply ridiculous third goal, selling candy and threading the needle from a tight angle. Her strong tackling pressure in the middle and ability to gather at half-forward and drive the ball inside 50 rounded out a superb performance.

#3 Maddison Meagher (Northern Knights)
Wing | 164cm | 02/08/2008

Stats: 17 disposals, 3 marks, 5 tackles, 1 clearance, 5 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

Meagher provided explosive run and link-up play off the wing throughout the game. She was clean with her hands, bursting away from handball receives and kicking forward effectively, and her sidestep on the wing was a feature. Her five tackles highlighted her defensive commitment, and she was consistently involved in setting up Metro’s forward thrusts.

#5 Isabelle Godfrey (Oakleigh Chargers)
Wing | 162cm | 11/08/2008

Stats: 12 disposals, 2 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal

Godfrey played a key role in steadying the ship when Queensland threatened a comeback, snapping a clever goal to ice the game. She was tidy with her hands in defence and showed great awareness, kicking into dangerous spots and finding Martin for the last kick of the game. Her ability to do the simple things well on the wing and drive the ball inside 50 made her a reliable contributor.

#6 Addison West (Western Jets)
Forward/Midfielder | 167cm | 16/05/2008

Stats: 19 disposals, 1 mark, 8 tackles, 2 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 2 behinds

West was a busy and hard-working presence across the forward and midfield lines, finishing with eight tackles to go with 19 disposals and five inside 50s. She was involved in setting up goals, executing a lovely kick to Martin and following up to assist Olivieri’s third major. Her tackling pressure was relentless, and she rotated through the middle working hard between the arcs. While her set shot attempts went astray, her overall contribution was significant.

#9 Emily Rankin (Eastern Ranges)
Midfielder | 166cm | 11/05/2008

Stats: 24 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles, 4 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

Rankin was one of Metro’s best through the midfield, winning the first clearance of the game and consistently driving the ball forward. She showed great burst speed out of the stoppages, racking up the ball quickly and kicking to half-forward. Her ability to throw it on the boot to the hotspot and execute a lovely kick off a step for Martin to mark were highlights, and she applied strong tackling pressure throughout.

#17 Isabella Mazzei (Oakleigh Chargers)
Midfielder | 169cm | 06/06/2008

Stats: 15 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 1 behind

Mazzei cracked in throughout the entire game, laying six tackles and winning two clearances. She started on-ball and was clean with her delivery, executing a lovely kick inside 50 in the opening minute and a well-weighted delivery to Grace Perrett. Her strong run-down tackle on Harlee McIlwain was a highlight of her defensive work, and she was consistently involved around the stoppages.

#18 Adelaide Caldicott (Eastern Ranges)
Forward | 172cm | 18/04/2008

Stats: 16 disposals, 1 mark, 2 tackles, 2 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 1 behind

Caldicott covered the ground well and got involved in transition consistently, continuing her great form in her top-age season. She showed a nice sidestep on the wing and was clean with her hands when getting involved. Her great gather and quick hands at half-back in the third quarter highlighted her ability to read the play and keep the ball moving.

#21 Brylee Anderson (Eastern Ranges)
Midfielder/Forward | 173cm | 25/03/2008

Stats: 20 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 inside 50, 1 rebound 50

Anderson was a dominant midfield presence, leading Metro’s clearance count with six. She started on-ball and was consistently involved, winning the ball at ground level and bursting out of stoppages. Her mark inside 50 and lovely placed kick for Martin to take a great grab were standout moments, as was her quick centre clearance in the final quarter. She was a key driver of Metro’s midfield.

#22 Alli Allen (Northern Knights)
Defender | 172cm | 15/10/2008

Stats: 16 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles, 1 clearance, 2 inside 50s

Allen was a composed interceptor in defence, taking marks on the wing and in the back 50 to cut off Queensland’s entries. Her elite pressure in the final quarter to win a one-on-one on the wing and follow up to win it again before firing off a handball was a highlight. Though her kicking across the defensive 50 was occasionally risky and did result in turnovers, she generally followed up and did whatever she could to win the ball back, while her intercept marking was a key defensive asset.

#23 Bailee Martin (Oakleigh Chargers)
Tall Forward | 176cm | 03/09/2008

Stats: 13 disposals, 3 marks, 1 tackle, 1 inside 50, 4 goals, 1 behind

Martin was the standout forward in the game, kicking four goals in a brilliant individual display. She showed great hands to take a clean mark and convert from 35m out straight in front, before adding another from close range. Her classy checkside from 30m was a highlight, and she capped off her day with a snap in the final quarter. The Queensland defence could not contain her despite some strong individual contests, and she showed why she is a genuine pick one contender.

#29 Cleo Barbakas (Oakleigh Chargers)
Ruck/Forward | 182cm | 07/01/2009

Stats: 21 disposals, 1 tackle, 4 hitouts, 4 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 1 behind

Barbakas was a key contributor in the ruck and around the ground, winning four clearances and accumulating 21 disposals. She set up Olivieri’s second goal with a brilliant handball to her in the goalsquare, and followed up from the ruck to win extra touches. While she was outworked in the hitouts by Clinch, her ability to get involved around the ground and drive the ball forward was valuable.

QUEENSLAND:

#2 Molly Ferguson (Brisbane Lions Academy)
Midfielder | 161cm | 20/04/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 4 clearances

Ferguson was one of Queensland’s best through the midfield, finding plenty of the ball despite being tackled immediately on multiple occasions. She started on-ball and worked hard to win clearances, gathering out of the middle and kicking to space. Her six tackles highlighted her defensive commitment, and she was a consistent presence even when the game was running away from her side.

#3 Zoe Petrides (Brisbane Lions Academy)
Forward/Midfielder | 165cm | 28/09/2008

Stats: 12 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 inside 50, 2 rebound 50s, 1 behind

Petrides was a pressure player who applied great tackling work at half-back, winning the ball herself after laying a tackle and dishing off. She showed her creativity with a quick snap around her body that unluckily hit the post from close range. Her lovely kick from the middle to half-forward and clean hands in transition were features of her game.

#8 Allie Cameron (Gold Coast Suns Academy)
Forward/Midfielder | 161cm | 04/03/2009

Stats: 15 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 4 inside 50s

Cameron was Queensland’s best stoppage player by the numbers, racking up seven clearances. She ran hard down the outside and was consistently involved in transition, executing a great placed kick deep from half-forward. Her six tackles highlighted her defensive work rate, and she was a persistent presence around the stoppages even as Metro dominated the first half.

#11 Lily Moana (Gold Coast Suns Academy)
Midfielder/Forward | 167m | 23/03/2010

Stats: 16 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles, 1 clearance, 7 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 2 goals

Moana was the most exciting player on the ground in the second half, producing two ridiculous goals in the final quarter to spark Queensland’s fightback. Her first was a 45m checkside that bounced home, and her second saw her sidestep with ease inside 50 before launching another stunning finish with the game in the dying minutes. The bottom-ager showed great burst speed off half-back and consistently drove the ball inside 50, finishing with seven entries. She is an ultra-exciting prospect.

#21 Freya Ross (Brisbane Lions Academy)
Wing | 169cm | 04/11/2008

Stats: 13 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 3 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

Ross was a clean ball user on the wing, taking four marks and applying four tackles. She showed great composure, spinning around at half-forward to kick deep and set up a goal for Pritchard, and her handball receive and kick to dangerous spots with one-on-ones were highlights. Her defensive efforts and ability to win the ball in transition made her a reliable contributor for the Maroons.

#23 Stephanie Aguinaldo (Gold Coast Suns Academy)
Defender | 170cm | 04/04/2008

Stats: 13 disposals, 6 marks, 1 tackle, 4 rebound 50s

Aguinaldo was one of Queensland’s best, clunking six marks and generating four rebound 50s. She mopped up well at half-forward and showed lovely kicking, executing a great placed kick into the corridor from the wing. Her great positioning in the middle to intercept an errant kick and her neat kickout work were highlights of a composed defensive performance.

#25 Asia Single (Gold Coast Suns Academy)
Defender | 171cm | 11/10/2009

Stats: 15 disposals, 4 marks, 1 tackle, 1 clearance, 3 rebound 50s

Single was a composed and reliable presence in defence, taking four marks and generating three rebound 50s. She gathered cleanly at half-back and executed short passes to the wing effectively, and her marking on the wing and ability to thump the ball down the ground were features of her game.

#27 Aiyana Pritchard (Brisbane Lions Academy)
Wing/Forward | 175cm | 21/12/2008

Stats: 12 disposals, 1 mark, 2 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 1 goal

Pritchard competed hard on the wing and in the forward line, running hard deep forward to get on the end of an awkward bounce and slam home a goal in the third quarter. She showed great persistence and a charging style, kicking nicely inside 50 in the final quarter and winning a free at half-back. Her two-way work rate and willingness to compete in the air were notable.

#31 Jade Brazier (Brisbane Lions Academy)
Tall Defender | 179cm | 13/05/2008

Stats: 14 disposals, 3 marks, 2 tackles, 6 rebound 50s

Brazier was one of Queensland’s best, generating a team-high six rebound 50s and providing a strong defensive presence against Martin. She saved a goal by getting a hand to the ball in the goalsquare and was consistently involved in clearing the danger from defence. Her ability to take marks and clear effectively – even though some resulted in last disposal out of bounds – even when under pressure from Metro’s forward line, was impressive.

#32 Sienna Clinch (Gold Coast Suns Academy)
Ruck | 182cm | 15/06/2008

Stats: 6 disposals, 2 marks, 3 tackles, 29 hitouts, 1 clearance, 1 inside 50, 2 rebound 50s

Clinch dominated the hitouts, winning 29 to give Queensland a significant advantage in the ruck contest. She did well in the stoppages and showed great versatility by getting back into defence to mark in the defensive goalsquare and kick to space. Her ability to win a free kick in a marking contest and her consistent tap work were highlights of a strong ruck performance.